Home network power saving device and method for the same

ABSTRACT

A home network system with a standby power saving function and a method for saving standby power thereof, wherein various home appliances exchange information with a home server from time to time. At least one home appliance for a home network is provided in the home network system to exchange information with the home server over a network line. The home appliance includes a controller for analyzing data received over the network line and generating and outputting a home appliance control signal in accordance with the analyzed result, a load for operating/stopping the home appliance in response to the home appliance control signal from the controller, a low voltage transformer (LVT) for receiving an external voltage and supplying a drive voltage to the controller to operate the load and controller, and an LVT relay and a power supply unit for cooperating to selectively supply the drive voltage and a standby voltage to the controller according to whether the home appliance is in operation. When the home appliance is in a standby mode, the supply of external power is interrupted and only the minimum power necessary for the controller is supplied, thereby making it possible to save the same amount of standby power as that of LVT leakage power.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a home network system with a standbypower saving function and a method for saving standby power thereof, andmore particularly to a home network system with a standby power savingfunction and a method for saving standby power thereof, wherein varioushome appliances exchange information with a home server from time totime and, in a power standby mode, the supply of power to each of thehome appliances is interrupted with the exception of a minimum amount ofpower necessary for a controller therein.

BACKGROUND ART

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the construction of a conventionalhome network system, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing theconstruction of each home appliance provided in the conventional homenetwork system.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the conventional home network systemcomprises a plurality of home appliances 2 and 3 connected to a powerline 1, which supplies operating power, and a home server 5 forexchanging information with the home appliances 2 and 3 over a networkline 4 connected therewith and controlling each of the home appliances 2and 3 in response to an associated external home appliance controlsignal.

Each of the home appliances 2 and 3, which are connected to a homenetwork via the power line 1 and network line 4, includes a load 6 foroperating the corresponding home appliance, such as a motor, acontroller 7 for analyzing data inputted from the network line 4 andoutputting a signal for control of the operation of the load 6 inaccordance with the analyzed result a low voltage transformer (referredto hereinafter as “LVT”) 8 for supplying a drive voltage to thecontroller 7, and a relay 9 for turning on/off the load 6 in response tothe control signal from the controller 7.

A description will hereinafter be given of the operation of theconventional home network system with the above-mentioned construction.

The home server 5 is connected with an external communication network tocontrol various home appliances in a home and exchange informationtherewith from time to time. The plurality of home appliances 2 and 3are connected with the home server 5 via the network line 4 to exchangeinformation therewith, and also to the power line 1 to receive theoperating power therefrom.

In the case where a power plug (not shown) of each of the homeappliances 2 and 3 is inserted into a receptacle (not shown), analternating current (AC) voltage from the power plug is applied to theLVT 8 over the power line 1.

Upon receiving information or a control signal from the home server 5over the network line 4, the controller 7 analyzes the receivedinformation or control signal and outputs a control signal in accordancewith the analyzed result to control the load 6, such as the motor.

In response to the control signal from the controller 7, the relay 9 isturned on/off to turn on/off the load 6 so as to operate/stop thecorresponding home appliance connected to the home network.

At this time, if the home appliance 2 or 3 is in operation, aconsiderable amount of power is continuously consumed therein. However,even when the home appliance 2 or 3 is in a standby mode where it is notin operation, the information exchange and monitoring must be performedbetween the home server 5 and the home appliance from time to time dueto characteristics of the home network, thereby making it impossible tocompletely power off the home appliance.

In other words, the conventional home network system has a disadvantagein that a large amount of standby power, most of which is occupied byleakage current of the LVT 8, is consumed in the home appliance becausethe controller in the home appliance must always remain connected to thepower line 1.

This problem has recently become a big issue in that many homeappliances for the home network have been introduced to the market andthe unplug campaign has become widespread due to a growing interest inpower consumption reduction across all of society.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the aboveproblems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a homenetwork system with a standby power saving function and a method forsaving standby power thereof, wherein various home appliances exchangeinformation with a home server from time to time and, in a power standbymode, the supply of power to each of the home appliances is interruptedwith the exception of a minimum amount of power necessary for acontroller therein.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the above andother objects can be accomplished by the provision of a home networksystem with a standby power saving function, comprising: at least onehome appliance including a controller for analyzing data received over anetwork line and generating and outputting a home appliance controlsignal in accordance with the analyzed result, a low voltage transformer(LVT) for supplying a drive voltage to the controller, and power controlmeans for controlling the supply of the drive voltage from the LVT tothe controller according to whether the home appliance is in operation;and a home server for transmitting and receiving data to/from the homeappliance over the network line.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a method for saving standby power of a home network system,comprising the steps of: a), by a controller in a home appliance,determining whether the home appliance is in operation, the homeappliance being adapted to transmit and receive data to/from a networkline, the controller being adapted to analyze the data received by thehome appliance and generate a home appliance control signal inaccordance with the analyzed result; and b), if an external voltage issupplied to an LVT according to a result determined at the step a),supplying a drive voltage from the LVT to the controller and, if theexternal voltage is not supplied to the LVT according to the resultdetermined at the step a), supplying to the controller a voltage chargedwhen the external voltage is supplied to the controller.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and other advantages of thepresent invention will be more clearly understood from the followingdetailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the construction of a conventionalhome network system;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the construction of each homeappliance in the conventional home network system;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the construction of a home networksystem with a standby power saving function in accordance with thepresent invention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the construction of a power controldevice of each home appliance in the home network system in accordancewith the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method for saving standby power ofthe home network system in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to FIG. 3, there is shown in block form the constructionof a home network system with a standby power saving function inaccordance with the present invention. As shown in this drawing, thehome network system comprises at least one home appliance 20 for a homenetwork connected to a power line 11, which supplies operating power,and a home server 30 for exchanging information with the home appliance20 over a network line 12 connected therewith and controlling the homeappliance 20 in response to an external home appliance control signal.

The home appliance 20, which is connected to the home network via thepower line 11 and network line 12, includes a load 21 for operating thehome appliance, such as a motor, a controller 22 for analyzing datainputted from the network line 12 and outputting a signal for control ofthe operation of the load 21 in accordance with the analyzed result anLVT 24 for supplying a drive voltage to the controller 22, a load relay26 for turning on/off the load 21 in response to the control signal fromthe controller 22, and a power control device 29 for controlling thesupply of the drive voltage from the LVT 24 to the controller 22according to whether the home appliance 20 is in operation.

The power control device 29 includes an LVT relay 23 disposed betweenthe power line 11 and the LVT 24. The LVT relay 23 acts to prevent anexternal AC voltage from the power line 11 from being supplied to theLVT 24 when the home appliance 20 is in a standby mode, and supply theexternal voltage from the power line 11 to the LVT 24 when an operatingcommand is sent from the network line 12.

The power control device 29 further includes a power supply unit 25connected between the LVT 24 and the controller 22. The power supplyunit 25 acts to selectively supply the drive voltage from the LVT 24 tothe controller 22 in response to an on/off operation of the LVT relay23.

FIG. 4 is a detailed block diagram of the power supply unit 25. As shownin this drawing, the power supply unit 25 includes a constant-voltagecircuit 25 a, which is a power supply circuit for supplying the drivevoltage from the LVT 24 to the controller 22, a voltage regulating diode25 b, and a charger 25 c. If the LVT relay 23 is turned off to interruptthe supply of the external voltage from the power line 11 to the LVT 24,a voltage charged on the charger 25 c is applied to the controller 22.

At this time, the charger 25 c supplies a minimum amount of powernecessary for the information exchange of the controller 22 with thehome server 30, thereby reducing leakage power resulting from the supplyof the operating power from the power line 11 to the LVT 24.

If the LVT relay 23 is turned on, then it applies the external ACvoltage from the power line 11 to the LVT 24, thereby making the voltageregulating diode 25 b in the power supply unit 25 conduct to supply thedrive voltage to the controller 22.

However, if the LVT relay 23 is turned off, then it blocks the externalAC voltage from the power line 11, thereby causing no voltage to beapplied to the LVT 24. As a result, the voltage regulating diode 25 b inthe power supply unit 25 does not conduct and the voltage charged on thecharger 25 c is supplied to the controller 22.

That is, by additionally installing the LVT relay 23 and the powersupply unit 25 with the charger 25 c in the home appliance 20 for thehome network, when the home appliance 20 is in the standby mode, thesupply of the external power is interrupted and only the minimum powernecessary for the controller 22 is supplied, thereby making it possibleto save standby power.

The operation of the home network system with the standby power savingfunction according to the present invention, constructed as statedabove, will hereinafter be described in detail with reference to a flowchart of FIG. 5.

First, the home server 30 is connected with an external communicationnetwork to control various home appliances in a home and exchangeinformation therewith from time to time, and the at least one homeappliance 20 for the home network is connected with the home server 30via the network line 12 to exchange information therewith, and also tothe power line 11 to receive the operating power therefrom (S1).

While continuously monitoring the home network constructed at the abovestep S1, the home server 30 determines whether the home appliance 20 isin the standby mode where the load 21 therein remains off (S2).

Upon determining at the above step S2 that the home appliance 20 is inthe standby mode, the home server 30 sends an LVT relay off command tothe controller 22 over the network line 12 to allow the home appliance20 to enter a standby power state (S3).

The controller 22 processes the LVT relay off command sent at the abovestep S3 and outputs the processed command to the LVT relay 23 to turn itoff. As the LVT relay 23 is turned off, it blocks the supply of theexternal voltage from the power line 11. At this time, the charger 25 cin the power supply unit 25 supplies the voltage charged thereon to thecontroller 22 (S4).

At the above step S4, the charger 25 c can supply the minimum powernecessary for the controller 22, which is incapable of driving the load21, but capable of monitoring the home network.

On the other hand, in the case where it is determined at the above stepS2 that the home appliance 20 is not in the standby mode, the homeserver 30 sends an LVT relay on command to the controller 22 over thenetwork line 12 (S5).

The controller 22 processes the LVT relay on command sent at the abovestep S5 and outputs the processed command to the LVT relay 23 to turn iton. As the LVT relay 23 conducts, it supplies the external voltage fromthe power line 11 to the controller 22 via the LVT 24 (S6).

The voltage supplied at the above step S6 is used to turn on the loadrelay 26 in response to a load drive command from the controller 22 todrive the load 21.

As a result, the controller 22 is energized with the voltage supplied atthe above step S4 or S6 (S7).

As described above, according to the present invention, an LVT relay anda power supply unit with a charger are additionally installed in aconventional home appliance. As a result, when the home appliance is ina standby mode, the supply of external power is interrupted and only theminimum power necessary for a controller is supplied, thereby making itpossible to save standby power.

As apparent from the above description, the present invention provides ahome network system with a standby power saving function and a methodfor saving standby power thereof, wherein an LVT relay and a powersupply unit with a charger are additionally installed in a homeappliance, so that, when the home appliance is in a standby mode, thesupply of external power is interrupted and only the minimum powernecessary for a controller is supplied, thereby making it possible tosave the same amount of standby power as that of LVT leakage power.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have beendisclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art willappreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions arepossible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the inventionas disclosed in the accompanying claims.

1. A home network system with a standby power saving function,comprising: at least one home appliance including a controller foranalyzing data received over a network line and generating andoutputting a home appliance control signal in accordance with theanalyzed result, a low voltage transformer (LVT) for supplying a drivevoltage to said controller, and power control means for controlling thesupply of the drive voltage from said LVT to said controller accordingto whether said home appliance is in operation; and a home server fortransmitting and receiving data to/from said home appliance over saidnetwork line, wherein said power control means includes: an LVT relayturned on/off for supplying or blocking an external voltage from a mainpower line to said LVT according to whether said home appliance is inoperation, said LVT relay being disposed directly between the main powerline and the LVT; and power supply means connected between said LVT andsaid controller for supplying said drive voltage from said LVT or acharged voltage to said controller, said power supply means beingdisposed directly between the LVT and the controller.
 2. The homenetwork system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said home appliancefurther includes load means for operating/stopping said home appliancein response to said home appliance control signal from said controller.3. The home network system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said loadmeans includes: a load relay turned on/off in response to said homeappliance control signal from said controller; and a motordriven/stopped in response to the turning-on/off of said load relay foroperating/stopping said home appliance.
 4. The home network system asset forth in claim 1, wherein said power supply means includes a chargerfor performing a charging operation when said external voltage issupplied to said LVT and supplying said charged voltage to saidcontroller when said external voltage is not supplied to said LVT suchthat the supplied charged voltage corresponds to a minimum amount ofpower necessary for information exchange of the controller with the homeserver.
 5. The home network system as set forth in claim 4, wherein saidpower supply means further includes: a power supply circuit forsupplying said drive voltage from said LVT to said controller when saidexternal voltage is supplied to said LVT; and a diode connected betweensaid power supply circuit and said controller for preventing a reversevoltage from being applied from said power supply circuit to saidcontroller.
 6. The home network system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:said home server is adapted to determine whether said home appliance isin operation and send a home appliance operation/nonoperation indicationsignal to said controller in accordance with the determined result; andsaid controller is adapted to control the turning-on/off of said LVTrelay in response to said home appliance operation/nonoperationindication signal from said home server such that said external voltageis supplied or blocked to said LVT according to whether said homeappliance is in operation.
 7. A method for controlling power of a homenetwork system, said method comprising: analyzing, via a controllerincluded in a home appliance, data received over a network line from ahome server to determine if the home appliance is to be in an operationmode or a standby mode; supplying, via a low voltage transformer (LVT),a drive voltage to said controller based on whether the controllerdetermines the home appliance is to be in the operation mode or in thestandby mode; and controlling, via a power control device, the supplyingof the drive voltage from said LVT to said controller according towhether the controller determines said home appliance is to be in theoperation mode or in the standby mode, wherein said controlling stepfurther includes: turning on and off an LVT relay to supply or block anexternal voltage from a main power line to the LVT according to whetherthe controller determines said home appliance is to be in the operationmode or in the standby mode, said LVT relay being disposed directlybetween the main power line and the LVT; and supplying, via a powersupply device connected between said LVT and said controller, said drivevoltage from said LVT to the controller or supplying a charged voltageto the controller according to whether the controller determines saidhome appliance is to be in the operation mode or in the standby mode,said power supply device being disposed directly between the LVT and thecontroller.
 8. The method as set forth in claim 7, further comprising:operating/stopping, by a load device, the home appliance in response tothe analyzing step by the controller.
 9. The method as set forth inclaim 8, wherein said operating/stopping step further includes: turningon and off a load relay in response to the analyzing step by thecontroller; and driving or stopping a motor in response to the turningon and off of the load relay.
 10. The method as set forth in claim 7,wherein said power supply device includes a charger configured toperform a charging operation when said external voltage is supplied tosaid LVT and to supply said charged voltage to said controller when saidexternal voltage is not supplied to said LVT such that the suppliedcharged voltage corresponds to a minimum amount of power necessary forinformation exchange of the controller with the home server.
 11. Themethod as set forth in claim 10, wherein said power supply devicefurther includes: a power supply circuit configured to supply said drivevoltage from said LVT to said controller when said external voltage issupplied to said LVT; and a diode connected between said power supplycircuit and said controller and configured to prevent a reverse voltagefrom being applied from the power supply circuit to said controller. 12.The method as set forth in claim 7, further comprising: determining, bysaid home server, whether said home appliance is in operation andsending a home appliance operation/nonoperation indication signal tosaid controller in accordance with the determined result; andcontrolling, via said controller, the turning on and off of said LVTrelay in response to said home appliance operation/nonoperationindication signal from said home server such that said external voltageis supplied or blocked to said LVT according to whether said homeappliance is in operation.
 13. A home network system with a standbypower saving function, comprising: at least one home appliance; and ahome server connected to said at least one home appliance over a networkline and configured to transmit and receive data to and from said homeappliance, wherein the at least one home appliance includes: acontroller configured to analyze data received over the network line andto output a home appliance control signal in accordance with theanalyzed result; a low voltage transformer configured to supply a drivevoltage to the controller; an LVT relay configured to be turned on andoff to thereby supply or block an external voltage from a main powerline to said LVT according to whether said home appliance is inoperation, said LVT relay being disposed directly between the main powerline and the LVT; a power supply circuit connected between said LVT andsaid controller and configured to supply said drive voltage from saidLVT or a charged voltage to said controller, said power supply meansbeing disposed directly between the LVT and the controller.
 14. The homenetwork system as set forth in claim 13, wherein said home appliancefurther includes a load circuit configured to operate said homeappliance in response to said home appliance control signal from saidcontroller.
 15. The home network system as set forth in claim 14,wherein said load includes: a load relay configured to be turned on andoff in response to said home appliance control signal from saidcontroller; and a motor configured to be driven and stopped in responseto the turning on and off of said load relay for operating said homeappliance.
 16. The home network system as set forth in claim 13, whereinsaid power supply circuit includes a charger configured to be chargedwhen said external voltage is supplied to said LVT and to supply saidcharged voltage to said controller when said external voltage is notsupplied to said LVT such that the supplied charged voltage correspondsto a minimum amount of power necessary for information exchange of thecontroller with the home server.
 17. The home network system as setforth in claim 16, wherein said power supply circuit further includes: aconstant voltage circuit configured to supply said voltage from said LVTto said controller when said external voltage is supplied to said LVT;and a diode connected between said constant voltage circuit and saidcontroller and configured to prevent a reverse voltage from beingapplied from said constant voltage circuit to said controller.
 18. Thehome network system as set forth in claim 13, wherein: said home serveris configured to determine whether said home appliance is in operationand send a home appliance operation/nonoperation indication signal tosaid controller in accordance with the determined result; and saidcontroller is configured to control the turning-on/off of said LVT relayin response to said home appliance operation/nonoperation indicationsignal from said home server such that said external voltage is suppliedor blocked to said LVT according to whether said home appliance is inoperation.